We proudly say that ours is a government of laws, not of men. But there are times when we expect too much of laws and not enough of women and men. This is the case with the failure of the Endangered Species Act.

From roughly 1970 through 1985, the beef industry put money and research into improving productivity instead of learning the marketing techniques that would have addressed America's changing eating habits -- and now it's in trouble.

Wyoming's Industrial Development Information and Siting Act of 1975 has helped the town of Wheatland cope with construction of a giant coal-fired power plant. But the law hasn't been able to address familiar boom-town social ills.